Barbecue grill plate



Feb. 22, 1966 JUREIT 3,236,225

BARBECUE GRILL PLATE Filed April 5, 1964 INVENTOR. WILL/4M f. JmPE/T me $5M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,236,225 BARBECUE GRILL PLATE William F. Jureit, Miami, Fla., assignor to Automated Building Components, Inc., Miami, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Apr. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 357,160 6 Claims. (Cl. 126-25) This invention relates to metal grates and barbecue devices and more particularly relates to inexpensive grates of a type usable with low cost barbecue pans.

Several problems are encountered in the operation of inexpensive barbecue pans which frequently are constructed without a grate. The absence of a grate in such devices requires the user to place the charcoal briquets or other desired combustible materials in close proximity if not direct engagement with the floor of the barbecue pan. The ignition and continued combustion of these materials are frequently slow and difiicult as a result of poor draft characteristics inherent in such barbecues.

At least some attempts have been made to militate against these defects, including the drilling of a multiplicity of openings in the floor and sometimes the surrounding flange of the barbecues. These attempts, however, for the most part have necessitated a considerable expenditure in time and effort by the barbecue user and for this reason and others have not been completely suitable nor universally used, as far as is known. For example, experience has shown that or /8 inch holes drilled in the floor of the barbecue become clogged with charcoal dust and ashes to the point where the barbecue will not even drain water on dousing of the fire.

Another problem confronting the user of inexpensive barbecues is that of rapid wear of the barbecue pans metallic floor which is generally of low grade metal of minimum thickness. The cause of this problem too is directly traceable to the required mode of operation due to the lack of a suitable grate. For example, when 'charcoal briquets are used in such devices, they are continuously in direct contact or very close proximity with the barbecue pan floor. Frequently, the user of such barbecues will, upon completing his culinary activities,

douse the barbecue with relatively cold water' in order to preserve at least part of the charcoal. Also, it is not uncommon for such barbecues to be exposed for at least several months of the year to the ravages and extremes of weathering. It has been found that thus exposing the metallic floor of such barbecues to such high temperature conditions as well as to the thermal shocks and extremes encountered in normal use, and even in non-use,

all are conductive to the rapid oxidation, cracking and flaking of this metallic floor. So pronounced are these effects on inexpensive barbecues that normal use thereof may render them inoperative in as little as two years time.

According to the present invention, it has been found that the draft characteristics of inexpensive barbecues may be greatly enhanced thereby increasing the ease and efiiciency of operating such devices. It is another feature of this invention that the usable life of such devices may be considerably prolonged. It is a further feature of this invention that the increase in draft characteristics and .useable life of grateless barbecues may be eifectuated in a convenient manner and at a very low cost so that the 3,236,225 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 savings incurred by eliminating frequent replacement of a barbecue is considerable.

Thus, it has been found, according to the present invention, that the draft characteristics of grateless barbecues may be greatly enhanced and the usable life thereof extended if there is combined therewith an inexpensive metallic plate of suitable gauge, having a relatively large number of teeth so as to form a structure of lattice-work design adapted to support the combustible materials usable in the barbecue at a safe distance from the floor of the barbecue pan. According to the present invention, a large plurality of teeth are used to provide adequate support for the combustion materials, as hereinafter more fully explained, and these are provided in slender form in order to accentuate the preferred draft characteristics of the invention. The plates are made of suitably heavy gauge metal and are therefore able to withstand for considerable periods of time the aforementioned temperature extremes and shocks. They may be easily cleaned and removed from the main barbecue pans. Their use, accordingly, does not entail any inconvenience. Further, since the cost of such plates constitutes but a small fraction of the overall cost of the barbecue, plate replacement is not a serious matter of concern.

It is, accordingly, a primary object of the present invention to provide a low cost means for increasing the ease of use and effectiveness of inexpensive barbecues.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive means to promote high draft characteristics in low cost barbecues.

It is a further object of the invention to provide inexpensive means for greatly increasing the effective life of low cost barbecues.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive barbecue wherein the grate may be used with ease and replaced at low cost.

These and further objects and advantages of the present invention shall become more apparent upon reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section view of a prior art grateless barbecue showing the manner in which combustible materials may be disposed therein and the predominant paths of combustion-promoting gases.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of one form of plate according to the present invention usable with the barbecue of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the plate of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of a second form of plate according to the present invention usable with the barbecue of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation of the plate of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is 'a vertical section through a barbecue similar to that of FIGURE 1 showing the manner in which combustible materials may be disposed therein and the paths of combustion-promoting gases ther-ethrough when the plates of FIGURES 2 and 4 are disposed therein.

FIGURE 7 is a section view of the barbecue of FIG- URE 6 taken along line AA of FIGURE 6.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown, generally at 2, a grateless barbecue device similar to that commonly in use. Such a device is relatively 'less.

inexpensive, presently costing approximately $10.00 or The barbecue 2 comprises a barbecue pan having a floor portion 4 and an upstanding peripheral wall 6 mounted on supports 8. Grill surface 10 is mounted on support 11 and is adapted to be adjusted vertically by means of the adjusting mechanism shown generally at 12. It can be seen from FIGURE 1 that combustible materials such as the charcoal briquets 7 placed in such a barbecue pan will most likely .be directly on, or in very close proximity to, floor portion 4. It can readily be seen, therefore, that in such devices the floor portion of the pan is fully exposed to the heat generated by such materials. Also readily observable in FIGURE 1 is the limited permissible circulation of combustion gases in such a pan. The manner in which by far the largest portion of such gases circulate over the briquets is schematically indicated by the arrows in FIGURE 1. It should be noted that very little circulation is possible with respect to the briquets nearest the floor of the pan inasmuch as the briquets themselves tend to act as baffies and make such circulation highly tortuous. In this regard, it has been found that the expedient of'drilling holes in floor 4, or peripheral flange 6 of barbecue 2 is not of considerable help inasmuch as the briquets lie in such close proximity thereto, or actually lie partially therewithin so as to prohibit or at least inhibit the flow of any appreciable amount of combustion-promoting gases therethrough. In addition these holes are shortly clogged with residue as pointed out previously.

Referring to FIGURES 2 and 3, there is shown one form of inexpensive metal plate 14 usable in the barbecue pan of FIGURES 1 and 2, having a plurality of rows 16-22 of teeth struck therefrom. While plates of varying configurations and materials may be utilized, it has been found that plates /2" in width and ranging from 9 /2" to 12 /2" in length are particularly desirable. Such plates are preferably constructed of 18 US. standard gauge (nominal thickness 0.0478 inch) sheet steel. It has been found that the above range of plate size accommodates most existing barbecue pans. In other words, plates longer than 12 /2" might very likely be too long for the average size barbecue. By confining the width to 5 /2 inches, two plates may be spaced in the barbecue pan, one on either side of support post 11. In those cases where no support post is used, such plates may be placed side by side. While 18-gauge plates are considered particularly desirable, l4-gauge plates (nominal thickness 0.0747 inch) are also suitable. On the other hand, while ZO-gauge plates could be used it has been found that, being thinner, such plates have a tendency to burn through relatively quickly and accordingly are not desirable where extended prolonged use is contemplated.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the teeth in adjacent rows, such as 16 and 18 or 18 and 20, etc. are struck in opposite directions. All such teeth, however, extend outwardly substantially normal to but one surface of the plate 14. By so positioning the teeth relative to each other, it can readily be seen that the flow of combustion-promoting gases through the plate will be greatly enhanced. This point will be more fully discussed with respect to the disclosure of FIGURE 6.

According to the specific embodiment of FIGURES 2 and 3, the ratio of tooth length to plate thickness is approximately 11. It should be noted, however, that tooth length is primarily of significance first with respect to the resulting separation of the plate body and the floor 4 of the barbecue pan and secondly with respect to draft facilitation characteristics. Tooth length accordingly, is not a fixed function of plate thickness but may be varied within a considerable range as long as the above-noted plate-pan-floor separation and draft characteristics are held at desirable levels. Similar considerations permit the extension of the plate teeth at various angles from the plate other than substantially normal with respect thereto as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. Also, while teeth 24-30 are more preferably constructed with pointed ends, the particular configuration of such teeth is not particularly significant as long as the lateral dimensions of the teeth are maintained small with respect to the overall lateral dimension of the plate as best seen in FIGURE 3 for reasons hereinafter more fully discussed.

In the specific embodiment of FIGURES 2 and 3 the ratio of the area of the tooth slots to the total area of the plate 14 (hereinafter referred to as the slot-plate area ratio) is approximately 0.25. This ratio may be accomplished by maintaining (l) the ratio of the distance A between a tooth and the end of the longitudinally adjacent slot and the distance B between laterally adjacent slots in adjacent rows on the order of 1, (2) the ratio of the length of each slotC to the width D of each slot approximately 3 and (3) the ratio of the length of each slot C to the distance A approximately 2. It should be noted, however, that a relatively high slotplate area ratio is important in promoting high draft within the barbecue pan as will be hereinafter more fully discussed. While the specific slot-plate area ratio of approximately 0.25 has been found desirable, it can be varied within reasonable limits, the upper limit depending in each case on such factors as the varying abilities of different materials and plate thicknesses to support large amounts of combustible materials and with-stand combustion temperatures encountered during operation of the barbecue.

Referring to FIGURES 4 and 5, there is shown another embodiment of a plate constructed according to the invention. The preferred configuration and composition of plate 32 are similar in all respects to that disclosed with respect to FIGURES 2 and 3 and previously discussed. Similarly, the significance and magnitude of the slot-plate area ratio and the related slot spacing (E/F) slot length-wise (G/H) and slot length slot spacing (G/E) ratios correspond in all respects to their counterparts previously discussed with respect to FIGURES 2 and 3.

The plate embodiment of FIGURES 4 and 5 is primarily distinguishable from that disclosed in FIGURES 2 and 3 by means of the manner in which the teeth 40-44 are struck from the plate. As best seen in FIGURE 5, alternate teeth in a given row in this embodiment of the invention extend in opposite directions away from the plate. That is to say, approximately one-half of the teeth in the plate 32 extend substantially normally away from one surface of the plate whereas approximately the other half of the teeth extend substantially normally away from the other surface of the plate. The significance of this particular tooth dispositioning will be discussed more fully with respect to FIGURE 6. It should be noted, however, that while teeth 40-44 are shown of equal length in FIGURE 5, this is not a critical feature of the invention.

Referring to FIGURES 6 and 7 there is shown schematically a manner in which plates 14 and 32 may be positioned in a barbecue pan. In FIGURE 6 there is shown the manner in which non-combustible materials such as charcoal briquets 7 may be positioned with respect to such plates. Readily observable from FIGURE 6 is the complete circulation of combustion gases about briquets 7 for which provision is made by means of the instant invention. Such circulation is promoted in the case of plate 14 by the maintenance of a primary draft channel below briquets 7. This channel is bounded by the floor 4 of the barbecue pan and the bottom surface of plate 14, such channel having a minimum height equal to the length of teeth 30. A similar channel is formed under plate 32 having a minimum height equal to the length of teeth 44. A secondary draft channel, bounded by briquets 7 and the upper surface of plate 32, is provided by the use of plate 32. Amultiplicity of tertiary draft channels are provided in both plates 14 and 32 by means of the individual slots in the plates. The effectiveness of these lattermost channels will be proportional to the slot-plate area ratio previously discussed in detail.

Each plate embodiment has particular features which make it desirable. Plate 14, for example, is particularly desirable because the tertiary draft channels of this embodiment of the invention are more uniformly spaced over the total area of the plate; it being impossible for any lateral portion of a plate to inhibit upward flow of combustion gases across the entire width of plate 14. The existence of both primary and secondary draft channels in the form of the invention exemplified by plate 32, however, makes this embodiment of the invention preferable over the exemplified by plate 14. With respect to this latter embodiment of the invention, it has been found that the existence of the second draft channels enhances the effectiveness of the tertiary draft channels by maintaining them relatively unobstructed. Various expedients well known to the art, including the provision of apertures in floor 4 and flange 6 of the barbecue pan may be employed to render the operation of the aformentioned draft channels even more effective.

While, as previously discussed, many different plate tooth shapes may be utilized, it has been found preferable to maintain the teeth slender and nail-like in overall configuration so as to minimize the tendency to inhibit circulation of combustion gases which plate teeth of broad outline would possess in the primary and secondary draft channels. Also, the elongate slot shape has been found particularly useful in combating clogging of the type encountered With previous attempts at venting.

It has been found that the combined use of one or more plates 14 with one or more plates 32 in a barbecue is particularly desirable because of the unexpected results attributable to such plate positioning. For example, with such a disposition of plates 14 and 32, it is possible to cook simultaneously at different heats different foods placed on support 10. Heretofore, the only way that such differing foods as frankfurters or thin hamburgers and thick steaks might simultaneously be barbecued would be by either placing such food on barbecue support at different times or by manually adjusting the position of the briquets beneath plate 10 so that certain areas of the pan would be practically devoid of briquets.

It should also be noted that even on more expensive barbecues where the height of support 10 may be adjusted vertically, the proximity of support 10 to floor 4 of the barbecue pan is limited by the height of pan flange 6. Readily observable, therefore, is the fact that the utilization of plate 14 and particularly plate 32 places any given number of briquets 7 in closer proximity to support 10 than was heretofore possible. Accordingly, to create a given temperature at the under surface of support 10, fewer briquets of a given composition are needed in a barbecue pan in which are placed plates constructed according to the invention. The resulting briquet cost savings over an extended period of time may approach or even exceed the cost of the plates themselves.

It may be seen, therefore, that maintaining briquets 7 a considerable distance from the floor 4 of the barbecue pan during the combustion process is advantageous for several reasons. So positioning the briquets is additionally desirable in that the upper surface of plate 14 and the terminal portions of plate 32 are the primary surfaces exposed to the heat of the briquets rather than floor 4 of the barbecue pan. If desired, however, the teeth of plate 14 as well as the upper most teeth of plate 32 may support the briquets by placing 14 in the barbecue pan in a position inverted from that shown in FIGURE 6.

It can therefore be seen from the foregoing that for a nominal cost the invention permits inexpensive barbecues to be operated more efficiently and for longer periods of time than was heretofore possible. In addition, certain features of the invention provide for an increased flexibility of barbecue operation at a decreased operating cost.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of the equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a barbecue grill comprising a barbecue pan having a floor portion, at least one plate having a pair of substantially parallel surfaces and a first series of teeth struck from said plate intermediate the edges thereof to leave a series of elongate slots therein, said teeth having a length of at least a plurality of times the thickness of the plate so as to be relatively slender in appearance, said teeth extending downwardly into engagement with said floor so as to maintain said plate surfaces spaced from said floor, said slots and surrounding edges thereof forming a lattice work the upper surface of which is adapted to support combustible means spaced from said floor, thereby increasing the effectiveness of said barbecue grill by substantially increasing the ability of combustion gases to circulate about said combustible means during combustion.

2. A barbecue grill as set out in claim 1 wherein at least one plate has approximately one-half of its teeth extending downwardly into engagement with the floor of the grill so as to maintain said plate surfaces spaced from said floor and approximately one-half of its teeth extending upwardly in a direction substantially opposed to said first half of said teeth, said upwardly extending teeth being so related to said plate surfaces as to be adapted to support a portion of said combustible means on the terminal portions of said upwardly extending teeth.

3. In a barbecue grill comprising a barbecue pan having a floor portion and a support for food overlying said pan, a first and a second plate having substantially parallel surfaces comprising a series of teeth struck from said plates intermediate the edges thereof to leave a first series of slots in said plates, said teeth extending downwardly from the lower of said substantially parallel surfaces of said plates into engagement with the floor portion of said pan whereby said teeth support said plates above said floor portion, said teeth having a length of at least a plurality of times the thickness of the plates so as to be relatively slender in appearance, said second plate having a second series of teeth extending upwardly from the upper of said substantially parallel surfaces to leave a second series of slots in said plate, said second series of teeth also having a length of at least a plurality of times the thickness of the plate so as to be relatively slender in appearance.

4. A barbecue grill as set out in claim 3 including combustible means placed upon the upper of said substantially parallel surfaces of said first plate and upon the terminal portions of said upwardly extending teeth of said second plate.

5. A barbecue grill as set out in claim 4 wherein the combustible means placed on said first plate is displaced a greater distance from the lower surface of said food support than the combustible means placed on the upwardly extending teeth of said second plate so that portions of said food support overlying said plate and associated combustible material may be selectively heated to different temperatures.

6. A barbecue grill comprising a barbecue pan having a floor portion and an adjustable cooking grill spaced above said floor portion, support means coupled to said pan, and a pair of plates intermediate said cooking grill References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1950 Mead 165-185 5/ 1952 Haislip 12625 9/1961 Forsberg 12625 11/1961 Murchie 12625 4/ 1962 Buttner .165183 X 5/ 1964 Roberts 12625 FOREIGN PATENTS 1/1918 France.

8/ 1926 France.

FREDERICK L. MATTESON, .lR., Primary Examiner.

JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Examiner. 

1. IN A BARBECUE GRILL COMPRISING A BARBECUE PAN HAVING A FLOOR PORTION, AT LEAST ONE PLATE HAVING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SURFACES AND A FIRST SERIES OF TEETH STRUCK FROM SAID PLATE INTERMEDIATE THE EDGES THEREOF TO LEAVE A SERIES OF ELONGATED SLOTS THEREIN, SAID TEETH HAVING A LENGTH OF AT LEAST A PLURALITY OF TIMES THE THICKNESS OF THE PLATE SO AS TO BE RELATIVELY SLENDER IN APPEARANCE, SAID TEETH EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FLOOR SO AS TO MAINTAIN SAID PLATE SURFACES SPACED FROM SAID FLOOR, SAID SLOTS AND SURROUNDING EDGES THEREOF FORMING A LATTICE WORK THE UPPER SURFACE OF WHICH IS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT COMBUSTIBLE MEANS SPACED FROM SAID FLOOR, THEREBY INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SAID BARBECUE GRILL BY SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASING THE ABILITY OF COMBUSTION GASES AND CIRCULATE ABOUT SAID COMBUSTIBLE MEANS DURING COMBUSTION. 